• Journal of Korean Medicine Rehabilitation
• /
• v.21 no.2
• /
• pp.279-288
• /
• 2011

Objectives : Our purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between abdominal adipose tissue and oriental obesity pattern identification. Methods : This study was performed in 78 healthy obese(BMI(body mass index)${\geq}25kg/m^2$) women in Seoul. Subjects underwent abdominal CT(computed tomography) scanning and were asked to complete the oriental obesity pattern identification questionnaire. Subjects were given written consent and this study was performed under permission of institutional review board of Kyung-hee East-west Neo medical center. Results : 1. VFA(visceral fat area) and VSR(visceral/subcutaneous adipose tissue ratio) were significantly correlated with stagnation of the liver qi(肝鬱, gan-yu)(p<0.05). But, other patterns were not significantly correlated with oriental obesity pattern identification(p>0.05). 2. We evaluated a difference of oriental obesity pattern identification score in visceral obesity group(n=34) versus non-visceral obesity group(n=44). Scores of all patterns except food accumulation(食積, shi-ji) were significantly higher in the visceral obesity group than in the non-visceral obesity group(p<0.05). Especially, there was a further significant difference in stagnation of the liver qi(肝鬱, gan-yu)(p<0.01). Conclusions : Generally, the stagnation of the liver qi(肝鬱, gan-yu) has a close relation with stress and depression. This study suggests that stress and depression might be correlated with visceral fat, and the use of oriental obesity pattern identification would be helpful for planning a treatment schedule of visceral obesity in the clinic.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and Dermatology
• /
• v.32 no.3
• /
• pp.77-86
• /
• 2019

Objectives : By analyzing symptoms of tinnitus, we tried to find out the relationship between deficiency and excess(虛實) and visceral pattern identification(臟腑辨證). By testing Tinnitus Handicap Inventory(THI), we evaluated the quality of life of people suffering from various aspects of tinnitus, as well as comparing treatment efficiency. Methods : 52 patients were recruited in this study who was ill with tinnitus. They wrote out the questionnaire about tinnitus and the THI. Results : The vast majority of high-grade tiny noise patients are deficiency type(虛症). The vast majority of low-grade roar patients are excess type(實症). Tinnitus persistence and feeling of ear occlusion were prominent in low-grade roar patients. low-grade roar patients suggest that overall quality of life is lower than high-grade tiny noise patients. In terms of treatment efficiency, spleen-stomach weakness(脾胃虛弱)-type, stomach heat(胃熱)-type and phlegm-fire(痰火)-type was higher than kidney essence depletion(腎精虧損)-type and liver qi depression(肝氣鬱結)-type regardless of the aspect of tinnitus. Conclusions : The present study suggests that tinnitus pattern may be helpful in differentiating patients with tinnitus, and the effectiveness of treatment can be predicted through differentiation.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.115-131
• /
• 2009

Objectives: This survey was done in order to find out how Korean medical doctors derive pattern identification for acupuncture prescriptions in treating low back pain in real clinical practice. Methods : The survey questionnaire was developed by the committee of experts who major in acupuncture & moxibustion or statistics for acupuncture clinical trial protocol development. The questionnaires were distributed via e-mail to 75 members of Korean Acupuncture & moxibustion society from March 26th to April 14th in 2009. 57 members completed answers, and the computerized data were analyzed by SPSS 17.0 statistical program. Results : 1.57 Korean medical doctors selected meridian pattern identification based on the course of the meridians(44.6%), visceral pattern identification(32.1%), pattern identification based on cause of disease(14.3%) as the most commonly used pattern identification methods for acupuncture prescription when treating low back pain patients in real clinical practice. 2. In meridian pattern identification based on the course of the meridians, gallbladder meridian of hypochondriac region(13.0%), bladder meridian of lateral low back region(11.2%), governer vessel of central low back region(11.7%) were selected 3. In visceral pattern identification, yang deficiency of kidney(20.2%), deficiency of kidney(19.3%), liver(16.7%), yin deficiency of kidney(14.0%), violence qi of kidney(8.8%), small intestine(7.9%) were selected. Conclusions : In our e-mail survey, Korean medical doctors answered that Meridian Pattern Identification based on the course of the meridians is the most often used diagnosis method. Visceral pattern identification, pattern identification based on cause of disease, meridian pattern identification based on symptom and pattern identification based on qi-blood-yin-yang theory in order of frequency used, were selected for low back pain diagnosis in real clinical practice.

• Journal of Acupuncture Research
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.59-65
• /
• 2009

Objectives : This survey was done in order to find out how Korean medical doctors derive pattern identification for acupuncture prescriptions in treating knee pain in real clinical practice. Methods : The survey questionnaire was developed by the committee of experts who major in acupuncture & moxibustion or statistics for acupuncture clinical trial protocol development. The questionnaires were distributed via e-mail to 75 members of Korean Acupuncture & moxibustion society from March 26th to April 14th in 2009. 57 members completed answers, and the computerized data were analyzed by SPSS 17.0 statistical program. Results : 1.54 Korean medical doctors selected meridian pattern identification based on the course of the meridians(52.5%), visceral pattern identification(27.1%), pattern identification based on cause of disease(8.5%) as the most commonly used pattern identification methods for acupuncture prescription when treating knee pain patients in real clinical practice. 2. In meridian pattern identification based on the course of the meridians, liver meridian of the medial knee region(13.2%), bladder meridian of the posterior knee region(12.0%), spleen meridian of the lateral knee region(11.7%), stomach meridian of the anterior knee region(9.8%) and kidney meridian of the medial knee region(8.6%) were selected. 3. In visceral pattern identification, blood stasis of sinews due to liver and kidney deficiency(5.3%), damp joint with yang deficiency of liver and kidney(4.9%), kidney qi deficiency with congealing cold(4.5%), yin deficiency of liver and kidney(4.1%) were selected. Conclusions : In our e-mail survey, Korean medical doctors answered that Meridian Pattern Identification based on the course of the meridians is the most often used diagnosis method. Visceral pattern identification, pattern identification based on cause of disease, pattern identification based on symptom and pattern identification based on qi-blood-yin-yang theory in order of frequency used, were selected for knee pain diagnosis in real clinical practice.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.33 no.5
• /
• pp.255-260
• /
• 2019

Oriental Diagnosis System(ODS) is an artificial intelligence program that utilize entered diagnosis knowledge, determine patient's disease and decide right medicine. The purpose of this study is to find a correlation between pattern Identification in Korean medicine and each sasang types(So-Yang, So-Eum and Tae-Eum) by analyzing ODS diagnosis result. Eventually our study secure availability of using ODS program at clinical training or developing diagnosis program. Subject of this study is 32 students participating in Sasang medical practice(12 subjects were So-Yang, 7 subjects were So-Eum, and 13 subjects were Tae-Eum). We analyze subject's clinical practice result reports by using ODS program and obtained result about pattern Identification. We used SPSS statistics 23 in analyzing the differences of the scores of Eight Principle Pattern Identification, Qi-Blood Pattern Identification, Bing-xie Pattern Identification, and Visceral Pattern Identification in each Sasang types (So-Yang, So-Eum, Tae-Eum). In the case of Heat-moisture, Tae-Eum showed higher score than So-Eum, but So-Yang showed no difference from the other two Sasang types(p<0.05). And in the case of Food-accumulation, Tae-Eum and So-Yang showed significantly higher score than So-Eum(p<0.05). It is hard to generalize the result because subject of this study was not enough. However, we explained correlation between pattern Identification in korean medicine and each sasang types based on quantifiable and objective evidence system. Therefore use of ODS program in student clinical practice training help to understand the relationship and correlation between different pattern Identification and will help standardization of clinical practice education.

• Journal of Korean Medical classics
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.13-40
• /
• 2016

Objectives : The practice of bloodletting therapy has taken place for several millenia all over the world. The therapy is still one of the most popular oriental treatments in Korea. This paper studies bloodletting therapy in Huangdineijing to provide the Korean Medicine doctors with knowledge of the therapy to effectively utilize it in their clinics. Methods : The author studied all of the diseases treated by bloodletting therapy in Huangdineijing, and placed them into three categories: the visceral and bowel diseases, the meridian diseases, and miscellaneous diseases. The author reviewed reference documents that show clinical experiences of using the therapy and the results from the research on the therapy's therapeutic dynamics. Results : The treatment principals such as diagnostic methods, meridian points selection, acupuncture methods, and tools for the bloodletting therapy were provided. Most of the diseases treated by the therapy were identified by the visceral pattern identification or meridian pattern identification except miscellaneous diseases. The characteristics of the diseases treated by the therapy were studied and the diseases were placed into categories such as fever, pain, qi counterflow, first-aid, mental disease, and deep-seated disease. Theoretical basis of the mechanism of bloodletting therapy was drawn from several researches and a number of clinical theses related to bloodletting therapy. Conclusions : Results of this study on bloodletting therapy in Huangdineijing could be a useful knowledge for the Korean medicine doctors to be utilized their clinics. Future studies on this type of therapy should be performed to identify the diseases that may be effectively treated by bloodletting therapy.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.38 no.4
• /
• pp.104-109
• /
• 2017

Objectives: Epicardial fat is true visceral fat that is known to be associated with metabolic syndrome, high abdominal fat, insulin resistance, coronary artery diseases, low coronary flow reserve and subclinical atherosclerosis. Dampness-Phlegm pattern is one of the pattern diagnosis of traditional Korean medicine. Previous studies showed that Dampness-Phlegm pattern is associated with hypertension, dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome. This study is intended to find association between Dampness-Phlegm pattern and epicardial fat thickness. Methods: This study was a community-based single center trial. Ischemic stroke patients within 30 days after their ictus were enrolled. Epicardial fat thickness was measured using transthoracic echocardiography. Other measured and obtained variables are medical history, weight, height, body mass index, fasting blood glucose, cholesterol, triglycerol, high density lipoprotein, lipid and low density lipoprotein. Results: Three hundred sixty six were enlisted, and one hundred forty were diagnosed with the Dampness-Phlegm pattern. Dampness-Phlegm pattern group had significantly thicker epicardial fat. Binary logistic regression also showed statistically significant result. Conclusions: This study showed close association between epicardial fat and Dampness-Phlegm pattern. This result suggests a clue to standardization of pattern identification.

• Korean Journal of Acupuncture
• /
• v.37 no.3
• /
• pp.203-208
• /
• 2020

Objectives : Since there are complex associations between diseases/symptoms and acupoints, one-to-one correspondence may not be the proper approach. Pattern identification has been being used as a clinical framework to make treatment decisions by extracting and synthesizing clinical data including patients' signs and symptoms. In this article, we propose two different models explaining the relationships between diseases and acupoints based on the branch treatment [Zhibiaofa] and the root treatment [Zhibenfa]. Methods : We explained the relationships between diseases/symptoms and acupoints from the example data from our previous study on traditional acupuncture point selection patterns for pain control. Diseases include low back pain, migraine, irritable bowel syndrome, osteoarthritis, ankle sprain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and dysmenorrhea, and acupoints included LI4, BL23, BL25, SP6, BL60, TE5, and CV4. Results : The relationships between diseases/symptoms and acupoints can be explained directly based on the branch treatment, and also can be explained indirectly through pattern identification based on the root treatment. Pattern identifications included both meridian-based pattern identification based on the spatial information of diseases and visceral organ-based pattern identification based on the characteristics of diseases. Conclusions : In the East Asian traditional medicine, Korean medicine doctors choose the most appropriate acupoints based either on the diseases/symptoms (i.e., branch treatment) or on the results of pattern identifications (i.e., root treatment). It is necessary to understand the two different approaches to choose specific acupoints for the targeted diseases.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.485-495
• /
• 2022

The purpose of this study is to report a case of a patient with pattern identification of liver fire flaming upward and metabolic syndrome improved by Korean medicine. The patient felt completely lost. She was treated for headache, insomnia, and metabolic syndrome with Korean medicine and psychotherapy. Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Pattern Identification Tool for Insomnia (PIT-Insomnia), Minnesota multiphasic personality inventory-2 (MMPI-2), and bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) were used for assessment. During treatment for six months, the patient stopped taking headache pills. Her blood pressure was stabilized. Her body weight, body fat, body mass index (BMI), and visceral fat decreased significantly. The sum of ISI, PSQI, PIT-insomnia also decreased significantly. Her Ego strength increased in the MMPI-2 supplementary scale. We assume that Korean medicine treatment through acupuncture, herbal medicine, and psychotherapy is effective in treating pattern identification of liver fire flaming upward and metabolic syndrome.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.126-133
• /
• 2018

The aim of this survey is to investigate the current state of pattern identification, treatment and management on chronic fatigue in the Korean medicine. From May 25, 2017 to June 7, we distributed contents of questionnaires to 17,992 Korean medical doctors via e-mail, and then received answers from 329 people. The surveys were conducted by a specialized research organizations. Researchers were blinded to the participant's personally identifiable information or whether they participated in the investigation. In Korea, almost Korean medicine doctors (94.5%) used pattern identification in the treatment of chronic fatigue patients. The main diagnostic methods were visceral (38.5%), qi-blood-fluid-humor (32.3%), and sasang constitutional pattern identification (14.3%). The high-frequent therapy were herbal medicine (37.0%), acupuncture (27.9%), moxibustion (11.7%), and cupping (8.6%). The primary goals of treatment were Improvement and relaxation of stress condition (18.1%), improvement of quality of life (13.1%), increase of functional vitality (34.0%), and fatigue management (23.3%). The key factors affecting treatment outcomes were the patient's aggressiveness in treatment (23.5%) and his/her lifestyle and environment(22.7%). This study was a pioneering research for chronic fatigue on the aspect of medical service provider in the Korean medicine. We hope that this study can be used as a basis for developing a more appropriate and reasonable practice guidelines for chronic fatigue.